
Glass. 
Book_ 



REPORT 



Centennial Celebration 



ANNIYERSARY OF OUR INDEPENDENCE, 



WINDSOR, CONN., 
JULY 4, 1876. 



hY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMITTEE OF ABBANGEMENTS. 



HARTFORD: 

PRESS OF THE CASE, LOCKWOOD & BRAINARD COMPANY. 
1876. 



A^'^ 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE. 



The desire to properly observe the Centennial Anniversary 
of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of 
America, seems to have animated the citizens of Windsor in 
all sections of the town. It was felt to be Windsor's duty to 
herself to celebrate the occasion in such a manner as should 
be creditable to the oldest town in the State of Connecticut — 
the home of the " friend of Washington," and of numerous 
others who bore a distinguished part in maintaining the Dec- 
laration, and in giving character and stability to our present 
form of government. 

Tlie residents of the Rainbow and Poquonock section of 
the town, having resolved to suitably observe the day, gener- 
ously proposed to unite with all of the inhabitants of the town in 
a general celebration of the occasion, at such a place in the 
town as might be selected for the purpose. 

Private consultation resulted in calling a public meeting to 
consider the matter, and to take such action as should be con- 
sidered consonant with the public feeling. This meeting was 
presided over by E. S. Clapp, Esq., of Windsor, and Thomas 
Duncan, Esq., of Poquonock, served as secretary. It was 
largely attended by the prominent and influential men of the 
place, and, with no dissenting voices, it was voted to adopt 
the proposal of the Rainbow and the Poquonock brethren, 
and to extend an invitation to all the inhabitants of the town, 
irrespective of color, age, condition, or peculiarity of political 
and religious opinion, to join in a grand Centennial Picnic on 
Broad street Green. 

The Hons. H. Sidney Hayden and Thomas W. Loomis, 
Timothy S. Phelps, Richard D. Case, and Thomas Duncan, 
Esqs., were appointed as a general committee of arrangements, 



to prepare for and carry out the manifest wish of the meeting. 
A sub-committee of one from each school district was appoint- 
ed to assist the general committee. This committee was con- 
stituted as follows, viz : 

For District No. 1, Oliver P. Mills ; No. 2, Walter W. Loo- 
mis; No. 3, Eli P. Ellsworth; No. 4, Strong H. Barber; No. 
5, Samuel A. Wilson; No. 6, Edward L. Smith; No. 7, 
George W.Barnes; No. 8, Eugene Brown; No. 9, George 
Dresser; No. 10, George L. Hodge. 

At the first meeting of the general committee they resolved 
upon issuing the following card of invitation to each family of 
the town, and to such of its former residents and their de- 
scendants, now living in other places, as might desire to join 
with them in suitably honoring the day in this old " mother 
of towns." 

CARD OF INVITATION. 

W^INDSOR, 

THE OLDEST TOWN IN CONNECTICUT. 



CENTENNIAL PICNIC ON BROAD STREET GREEN, 
JULY 4th, 1876, AT 11 A. M. 

All the inhabitants of Windsor are hereby requested to join 
in rendering suitable testimonial in honor of the coming 
Fourth of July. 

We remember gratefully our noble heritage; the first page 
of one hundred years proves its value. 

Committee i H. Sidney Hayden, Thomas W. Loomis, 
of I T. S. Phelps, R. D. Case, Thomas 

Arrangements, ( Duncan, 

These cards were directed to ladies and gentlemen of the 
towns of Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, East Windsor, South 
Windsor, and Ellington, all of which are now thriving towns, 
incorporated from the territorial limits of ancient Windsor. 

Special invitations to be present were likewise sent Presi- 
dent Grant, and to Gov. Hayes, of Ohio, the ancestors of both 



5 

of whom lived in this town. Similar invitations were like- 
wise sent to other distinguished representatives of Windsor, 
now living in other States. 

In anticipation of tlio large numbers who would avail them- 
selves of the privilege of honoring the day and the town, by 
their presence here on the great day of the centuries, the 
General Committee of Arrangements, in order to properly re- 
ceive and entertain them, made the following assignment of 
duties to the different gentlemen, viz : 

Committee on Erection of Tents, Tables, Seats, ^c. — Tim- 
othy S. Phelps. 

Committee on Provisions, Drinks, Crockery, ^c. — H. S. Hay- 
den, Thomas Duncan. 

Committee on Music. — R. D. Case. 

Committee on Finance. — The sub-committees of the various 
districts. 

Committee on Invitations. — T. W. Loomis. 

Committee on Ringing Bells. — Thomas Maud, George Terry, 
William Hills. 

Committee on Firing of Cannon. — Col. E. N. Phelps. 

They likewise adopted the following order of exercises for 
the day. 

PROGRAMME. 

ORDER OF EXERCISES CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, 
Broad Street Green, Windsor, July 4th, 1876. 

National Salute of 13 guns on Plymouth Meadow, at 
sunrise. 

Music, — "Hail Columbia." 

Invocation, — Rev. B. Judkins. 

Music, — "Old Hundred." 

Reading Declaration of Independence, — H. L. Soper, Esq. 

Music, — " Yankee Doodle." 

Historical Address, — J. H. Haydeu, Esq. 

Music. 

PoEM,~Rev. R. H. Tuttle. 

Music. 

DINNER. 



6 

Blessing Invoked, — Rev. G. C. Wilson. 
Music — Music. 

Orator of the Day, — Lieut. -Gov. George G. Sill. 
Music. 

Address, — Hon. T. C. Coogan. 
Music. 

Reading of Letters and short Addresses, from our own citi- 
zens and invited guests, 

A march is proposed to Cemetery and Palisado. 
Fireworks on the Green in the evening. 
Marshal of the Day, — E. S. Clapp. 

The labor of the committee on the erection of tents, <fec., 
considerably exceeded that of the other committees ; but Mr. 
Piielps was equal to the demand that was made upon him. 
Availing himself of the voluntary assistance of several citizens 
whose hearts were in the work, the 14,000 feet of lumber, 
generously placed at the disposal of the committee of arrange- 
ments by Mr. H. Tudor White, was soon made to assume 
shapes of convenience and comfort for the large number wdio 
were expected to be present. A large frame structure 80 feet 
in length and 40 feet in breadth, canopied with canvas be- 
longing to the M. E. Church, was comfortably fitted with seats 
for more than one thousand persons. A large platform, the 
entire width of the building and fifteen feet deep, was arranged 
for the officers of the day, the speakers, and musicians. Nu- 
merous seats under convenient shades, were likewise fitted for 
the accommodation of all who chose to be seated. 

Tables, more than two thousand feet in length, besides side 
tables, were arranged for the reception of the result of the 
labors of the provision committee, whose calls for contribu- 
tions of food, through the sub-committees, were generously 
resjwnded to by the ladies in all sections of the town. 

The following gentlemen gave tlieir assistance to Mr. Phelps 
in the erection of tents, &c., viz: 

Eli Francis, Timothy Loomis, Lucien Loomis, Walter W. 
Loomis, Edmund Loomis, Simeon Loomis, Henry A. Halsey, 
E. S. Chqip, John Xoonan, IJezekiah Mack, James Reynolds, 
Charles Lord, Frank Case, Elisha C. Andrus, D wight T. 



Phelps, Archibald S. McManamon, James McCormick, John 
Hamilton, John Rooke, George W. Blake, Wm. Horace 
Bower, H. Tudor White, Stephen Teft, Strong H. Barber, 
Isaac Whiton, Willie Ware, Martin Cairnes, John Howard, 
Albert Fuller, Hiram Shannon, Steven Norris, Daniel Carroll, 
John A. Bruce, F. F. Curry, John Carrier, Ellsworth Barker, 
John Kenyon, Charles Elliott, George Osborne, George P. 
Farr, and possibly some others. 

The committee on music engaged the Windsor Cornet Band 
to furnish instrumeutal music. The band is composed of the 
following members, viz : Daniel W. Mack, Leader ; William 
Horace Bower, Dwight T. Phelps, Henry E. Phelps, Timothy 
S. Loomis, Horace H. Ellsworth, William H. Filley, William 
S. Marks, Martin Palmer, 2d, Roswell Clapp, Charles E. 
Elliott, Fred. W. Mack, Edward A. Bates. 

The Drum and Fife Band, composed of the following mem- 
bers, viz: Joel Palmer, Charles Palmer, J. Shelby Clark, Hor- 
ton Clark, Charles Griswold, and Edwin Griswold, were en- 
gaged, and accompanied the Poquonock and Rainbow train 
of carriages to Windsor. 

Capt. John Parker was likewise engaged to make arrange- 
ments for vocal music. The band aud the choir, composed 
of the united choirs of the various churches of the town, each 
contributed largely to the success of the celebration, in the 
pleasure their efforts afforded. 

Mr. James McCormick was appointed to receive and arrange 
upon the extensive tables, the large contributions of food, as 
it was delivered to him by the willing and generous donors. 
In this labor he was assisted by Messrs. John Hamilton, Eli 
Francis, John Francis, George Blake, Richard Norris, James 
Green, Samuel Barker, Isaac Whiting, Samuel Phelps, and 
others. The supply of food was abundant, and the inviting 
appearance of the tables after its arrangement upon them, 
was a sufficient proof of the good judgment of the committee 
of arrangements in selecting Mr. McCormick for this duty. 

Messrs. Case and Duncan, to whom was committed the task 
of making arrangements for the conveyance of the residents 
of Poquonock and Rainbow to Broad street Green, were 



more successful in their efforts than one who was unac- 
quainted with the community would have supposed they could 
have been. Of the large number of horses and vehicles of 
various dimensions employed for that purpose, there were 
generously placed at the disposal of the committee by Mr. 
R. D. Case of Rainbow, fourteen carriages and thirty-four 
horses ; by the Poquonock Mills, one carriage and four 
horses ; by Tunxis Mills, Hough & Hall, S. L. Smith, I. M. 
Brown, Daniel Griswold, Sidney Hollister, and Michael Dunn, 
each one carriage and two horses. Fifteen of the above car- 
riages were of large dimensions, and it is thought accommo- 
dated fully six hundred persons with comfortable passage. In 
the fitting of one of them, one thousand feet of lumber was 
used, and it accommodated sixty-six persons. All of them 
were canopied and tastefully trimmed with evergreens, flowers, 
flags, and streamers of the national colors. The committee 
return their thanks to all who gave them their aid, and espe- 
cially to Mr. Eli S. Hough, who in his usual hearty and cheer- 
ful manner, collected the provisions from the various places 
in Poquonock and Rainbow, until his team was laden with 
more than a ton, wliich he delivered in good condition to the 
provision committee on the green. 

Mr. John A. Bruce, assisted by Hiram B. Shannon and 
James Reynolds, prepared the drinks — ice-water and lemon- 
ade — and Mr. Samuel Austin the coffee, of all of which there 
was a good supply and of an excellent quality. 

On the evening of the third, all things were in an advanced 
state of preparation, and thousands of hearts beat happily in 
anticipation of the good time coming on the morrow. Chil- 
dren went to bed, singing, " Wake me early, Mother dear," 
and many fervent aspirations rose from pious hearts to Divine 
Providence, for a favorable day, in which to pay due honor to 
the Centennial Fourth. 

The sun rose upon a cloudless sky and the day was 
ushered in by the firing of cannon on Plymouth Meadow, 
under the direction of Col. E. N. Phelps, and by the ring- 
ing of bells for nearly an hour. Early in the day, anticipation 
ripened into certainty that the large expectations which had 



been excited in regard to the celebration, would be more than 
realized. At 8 o'clock A, M, the Masonic Hall, and the stores 
and dwellings around the Green and adjacent to it, were taste- 
fully decorated with national flags, banners, flowers, and 
beautifully arranged drapery of the red, the white, and the 
blue. Not the least noticeable of these was the house of our 
usually undemonstrative town clerk, Mr. Horace Bower, who, 
catching the enthusiasm of the occasion, in addition to other 
appropriate decorations, exhibited a large framed portrait of 
Washington, the Father of his country. 

The first organized demonstration of the day was a grand 
cavalcade of fantastics, under the command of Capt. Edward 
L. Smith and Lieut. E. Lee St. John, representing all the 
characters, hideous and otherwise, tiiat ever existed, or are 
supposed to have existed. This passed through the principal 
streets of the town to the great delight of the juveniles, and 
contributed largely to the satisfaction of those of a larger 
growth who find pleasure in an exhibition of the marvelous. 

At 11 o'clock A. M. a procession of the officers and schol- 
ars of the Windsor Sunday-schools, under direction of the 
marslial of the day, was formed to receiv'e the Sunday-schools 
and residents of Poquonock and Rainbow. This procession 
was led by the Windsor Cornet Band, and the surviving Wind- 
sor soldiers who served in the late civil war. In due time, pre- 
ceded by the Drum and Fife Band, in a carriage owned by S. 
L. Smith, came the Poquonock and Rainbow participants in 
the celebration. The second carriage, under the charge of 
Manly S. Snow of Rainbow, was full of old men and ladies, 
over 75 years of age, who were grateful that a kind Providence 
had graciously lengthened out their years beyond the allotted 
three score and ten, and permitted them to participate in the 
celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of their coun- 
try's birth-day. It had long been looked forward to by them 
with hopeful expectancy ; now their eyes beheld it, and they 
were glad. 

The third carriage, arranged by Mr. Samuel L. Smith of 
Poquonock, and under his care, was drawn by six large 
horses, and contained sixty-six persons, comfortably seated 
2 



10 

upon four rows of seats running lengthwise of the carriage, 
the two center rows being elevated so as to overlook the side 
ones. Of those who occupied the carriage, fifty were young 
ladies, respectively representing a State of the Union, a Ter- 
ritory, the District of Columbia, and the Goddess of Liberty. 
In addition to these tliere weie sixteen gentlemen who assisted 
in singing, and were led by Mr. Jltomiis Clark. Mr. George 
Barnes, quite a laige man for these degenerate days, person- 
ating '• Uncle Sam of 1876," and his son, a very small boy, 
because young, personating " Uncle Sam of 1776," were num- 
bered with the sixteen. The carriage and the horses were 
gaily and tastefully decorated with evergreens and flowers, 
intermingled with the national colors, and with the living love- 
liness of the occupants of the carriage, formed a picture of 
enchanting beauty, the remembrance of which will be a joy 
forever. 

A photograph of this cai-riaye and the horses, owned by R. 
D. Case of Rainbow, and of the occupants, has been procured. 
A separate one has also been obtained of the Goddess of Lib- 
erty. 

The remaining carriages were in no way inferior in interest 
to those already mentioned ; and the whole Poquonock and 
Rainbow turn-out sliowed that the members of the committee 
of arrangements who resided in that section of the town, as 
well as the sub-committees for districts Nos. seven, eight, 
nine, and ten, were fully alive to the importance of the occa- 
sion, and were determined that no failure on their part should 
mar the exercises of the day. All lumor to the ladies and 
gentlemen of these districts, for their efforts and sacrifices to 
make the celebration the glorious success it was. Most nobly 
was the pledge redeemed, that Rainbow and Poquonock 
would do justice to the occasion, and to themselves. 

A large tent, capable of seating a thousand persons, had 
been erected contiguous to a comfortable shade, and in and 
around this gathered the large asseml)ly to listen to the inter- 
esting exercises, promised in an extensively circulated pro- 
gramme. Mr. E. S. Clapp, the marshal of the day, presided 
over the exercises in tlie tent, assisted liy the Hon. H. S. 



11 

Hayden, the chairman of the committee of arrangements. 
The exercises were opened with appropriate music by a large 
choir, led by Capt. John Parker, superintendent of the Meth- 
odist Sunday-school, and in which the whole assemblyjoined, 
giving a grand example of the power of congregational sing- 
ing to stir the soul. 

After a prayer by the Rev. B. Judkins, rector of Grace 
church, and music by the choir and audience, the reading of 
the Declaration of Independence, by H. L. Soper of Poquon- 
ock, was listened to with as much attention and quietness as 
if it had been a new document and this was the occasion of 
its first announcement. The spirit of Thomas Jefferson, if it 
was hovering over the assemblage, as was intimated later in 
the day, must have been abundantly satisfied. 

After music by the band, the marshal introduced Jabez H. 
Hayden, Esq., of Windsor Locks, a native of the town, who 
delivered the following historical address : 



ADDRESS. 



One hundred years ago to-day, a Windsor soldier in the 
city of New York sat down to write a letter to his parents. 
Two days before, Washington had issued an order to the 
army, portraying the perilous condition of the country, and 
the momentous interests at stake in the impending battle. 
Finding in this order what best expressed his own sentiments 
regarding tlie situation, the soldier copied from it until drum- 
beat called him to lay aside his pen, and resume his musket. 

Camp New York, July 4, 1776. 
Sonored Father and Mother : 

" The time is now near at hand which must probably deter- 
mine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves : whether 
they are to have any property they can call their own ; whether 
their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and 
they consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no hu- 
man efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn 
millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and 
conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy 
leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject 
submission. This is all we can expect. We have, therefore, 
to resolve to conquer or die. Our country's honor calls upon 
us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shame- 
fully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let 
us rely upon the goodness of our cause, and the aid of the 
Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and en- 
courage us to great and noljle actions. The eyes of all our 
countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their bless- 
ings and praises if, happily, we are the instruments of saving 
them from the tyranny meditated against them. 



13 

Let us animate and encourage each other, and show to tlie 
whole world that a freeman contenduig for liberty on his own 
ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth. 

The General recommends to the officers great coolness in 
time of action, and to the soldiers strict attention and obe- 
dience, with a becoming firmness of spirit." 

Tiie drum beats, and I must turn out with fatigue men and 
main guard. ' Tis, thanks be to God, pretty healthy in the 
army. 

Your affectionate son, 

Hezekiah Hayden. 

While this soldier, to whom we shall again refer, sat copy- 
ing these noble sentiments in New York, John Hancock and 
his associates were signing the Declaration of Independence 
at Pliiladelphia — a declaration which would have availed 
nothing, but for the good right arms of the soldiers who de- 
fended it, and the patriotic zeal of those at home, who sus- 
tained the soldiers. It is fitting that we to-day recall some of 
the sacrifices and services rendered by this mother of towns, 
in the accomplishment of the Independence which this 
great nation celebrates to-day. It is fitting that the children 
come forth to-day to honor the worthies who one hundred 
years ago won our independence, and take lessons in love of 
country, from the story of the past. 

None of the school children before me have ever looked 
upon a soldier of the Revolution. Some in middle life have 
talked with those whose memory ran back to 1776, and a few 
of us who have lived more than half a century have listened 
to the tales of the old soldiers themselves. We will repeat 
something from these revolutionary stories, and then turn 
back to history to examine briefly what had been the training 
of the generations which preceded them, and wdiich qualified 
the people of 1776 to deliberately meet, and bravely endure, 
the fearful trials of that culminating hour in our history, 
which severed our colonial dependence and gave us Independ- 
ence. 

Open hostilities had broken out between the people of 



14 

Massachusetts and the mother country more than a year be- 
fore the signing of the declaration. 

I need not tell these school boys of Paul Revere's ride to 
rouse the people to resist the British soldiers who were leav- 
ing Boston to destroy tlie military stores at Concord, or the 
resistance they met. There was no telegraphic communica- 
tion to say to the people of Connecticut on that 19th day of 
April, 1775, what was being done at Lexington and Concord. 
But when those " Red-coats" had been pelted back to Boston, 
there went forth couriers to spread the alarm through New 
England. Tlie day alter, on the 20th of April, the people of 
this part of Windsor were attending the funeral of their Fas- 
tor, Rev. Mr. Russell. While they were engaged in these 
services, either at their church, which then stood at the north 
end of this green, or assembled around his open grave, a 
rider drew up his panting steed, and told of the Battle of 
Lexington. The funeral services ended, men hurried to their 
homes and seized their muskets ; the dreaded war had come. 
In imitation of Paul Revere, another rider on a fresh horse 
caught up the shout, 

"And a hurry of hoofs in a village street " 

soon carried the dispatch to Sufheld, and thus from town to 
town spread the "Lexington alarm." That night was one 
of preparation. Many a wife or mother toiled through the 
night, to equip a soldier, ready to go forth on the morrow. 
When mustered on that 21st day of April, 1775, there stood 
23 Windsor men with Captain Nathaniel Hayden at their 
head, who at once took up their march towards Boston. 
Through all that summer and the coming winter, Windsor 
men were enlisting into the army, and when July 4th, 1776, 
was reached, Windsor was almost depleted of her able-bodied 
men. The little neighborhood of Pinemeadow, now Windsor 
Locks, consisted of nine families, — the head of all but one 
of those families was in the army. The British had been 
driven out of Boston, and were now advancing on New York, 
and it was of momentous importance to the colonies that New 
York be held. 10,000 Connecticut soldiers were in New 
York in August, 1776. 



15 

While the men were bearing arms to uphold the Declara- 
tion, the women took up the implements of husbandry, and 
toiled in fields. Many a sunburnt girl who took up the work 
of a brother, or father, to supply the necessities of the family, 
took up that work with a patriotic zeal equal to that of the 
soldier wliose place she filled, and many a doting mother, or 
loving wife, put forth heroic efforts to feed the children at 
home, and the soldiers at the front. Then there came a time, 
when the stern law of necessity required from every barn in 
Windsor, all the grain there found, above a given amount for 
each member of the household depending upon it. And again 
the constituted authorities went forth in search of lead for 
bullets.* 

I was once told by Mr. Roswell Miller, whom some of you 
remember, that there came a time when not a clock was 
running in Windsor ; the lead weights of the last one had 
been run into bullets. 

We smile when we think of a people submitting to such 
exactions, a people who were periling everything in resistance 
to the exactions of King George, and the maintenance of the 
Declai-ation of Independence. There were those who failed 
to see the corresponding good. Mr. Eliakim Mather, who 
lived on the street nearly a mile north of the old church, 
declared the taking of his clock weights to be an illegal and 
arbitrary act, and took an oath that his clock should stand 
without weights, until the authority which took them away, 
returned them. Through all the long 30 years of the old 
man's after life, the old clock was to him an unmoved witness 
to his persevering observance of his oath; and when, at the 
age of 84, he looked for the last time upon the face of his 
clock, it still gave no sound. 

We now return to the army at New York. From July 4th, 
1776, there was great activity in preparing for the coming 
struggle. On the 27th of August, was fought the disastrous 



*" Lead delivered to the Town's Men, 1776. Clock weiirht lead." Capt. 
Stouii;hton, 18 lbs. Capt. Ellsworth, 30 lbs. Rev. Mr. Hinsdale, 13 lbs. Josiah 
Allen, 28 lbs. David Ellsworth, Jr., 24 lbs. Daniel Hayden, 24 lbs., and John 
Allen, 14 lbs. — Town Records. 



16 

battle of Long Island. Washington had met the enemy 
where the city of Brooklyn now stands, and was driven back 
with great loss. A dark niglit and foggy morning enabled 
Gen. Washington to retreat back to New York. I have listened 
to the recital of an old soldier* who stood guard to prevent 
overloading the boats which plied with muffled oars between 
Brooklyn and New York, all that night, and until late next 
morning. When tlie last boats containing those who had stood 
guard, pushed from the shore, the fog lifted, and revealed 
their situation to a Regiment of British Horse, who were 
cautiously approaching to discover the American army, all too 
late to arrest their flight. Among the prisoners taken by the 
British, during that battle, were several Windsor men, who 
were thrust into the old Jersey Prison ship. Among them 
were Capt. Bissell, Cornet Russell, Hezekiah Hayden, Nathan- 
iel Lambertou, and Wm. Parsons. The last three died a 
lingering death by starvation. Russell barely survived, and 
was never after able to speak above a wliisper, Capt. Bissell 
survived some years to tell of the horrors of the Jersey Prison 
Ship. 

Then came the retreat from New York. It was a motley 
crowd. Citizens who were committed to the American cause 
with such valuables as they could carry with them ; soldiers 
in regiments, companies, squads, and in single file. Many of 
the soldiers paid little regard to whose company they were in 
so they were in a company well advanced. In that crowd 
was tlie wife of Major, afterwards Gen., Newberry, in a car- 
riage she had driven from Windsor to care for her sick hus- 
band. At one point her carriage was disabled, and they 
likely to fall into the hands of their enemies. She pleaded 
unsuccessfully with the sick man to suffer the badges of his 
office to be removed, and he escaped with them on. Jabez Has- 
kell, who had succeeded in bringing off a number of sick 
Windsor men as far as Kings Bridge, was challenged by the 
guard at that point, and his pass demanded. Charging bay- 
onet, he shouted : " Here's my pass, stand out of the way," 
and his invalid corps was soon beyond pursuit. One Wind- 

* rhiaeas Pickett. 



17 

sor man, who was struck by a spent ball, so increased his 
speed as to leave all his comrades behind. Windsor made 
strenuous effort to keep her quota of men in the field during 
all the war. Nearly every able-bodied man at some time be- 
came a soldier. Bounties were paid, and heavy taxes bur- 
dened the people. 

Alarms called forth volunteers from time to time, when the 
enemy threatened some portion of our own state. The " Dan- 
bury Alarm " was responded to by Mr. Daniel Phelps, a man of 
more than three score years and ten, (grandfather of the late 
Dea. Roger Phelps,) and the late Dea. Daniel Gillett, and 
probably others. Each was mounted and carrying a musket 
hastened forward only to meet the returning volunteers, who 
told of the burning of Danbury, and the retreat of the Brit- 
ish. The old man sighed that he could not get " one shot at 
the Red-Coats." But turning back he reached a ferry where 
numbers of impatient riders were waiting their turn, who 
with one consent declared that their rule should not apply to 
the old man, and the old man's plea took his companion with 
him. Late that night they reached the house of a friend, 
where the weary old man, in utter exhaustion, laid him down 
and died, and the younger volunteer returned to his home 
alone. 

Mr. Daniel Bissell, Jr., who lived half a mile this side of 
Hay den Station, a man of iron nerve, was asked to take the 
perilous office of a Spy. Washington had asked for a suit- 
able man, Daniel Bissell was named, and he accepted the 
position, received his instructions, and like his predecessor, 
" the Martyr Hale," he passed within the lines of the Brit- 
ish. The thrilling story of his experiences within the lines, 
and his final escape from them, is too long to tell here. In 
my early childhood, in nearly every second house north of 
the river, there lived an old man who had been a soldier in 
the war of the Revolution, and I doubt not, this side of the 
river, and through Poquonock the same evidences of patri- 
otism were equally manifest. More than half a century after 
the close of tlie war the pension rolls show more than fii'tj 
Windsor pensioners. 
3 



18 

After the war was over tliere was a great work to be done 
to establish over the whole country the system of government 
so long before organized in New England. After twelve years 
(from the date of the declaration,) of inefficient government 
under the Confederacy, our glorious Constitution was framed 
and adopted. A distinguished citizen of Windsor, Oliver 
Ellsworth, took a prominent part in the convention which 
framed it, drafting the articles relating to the Judiciary. 

Time forbids further reference to details of the war of the 
revolution, or later wars, or the daily life and progress of the 
century between us and the days we have been considering, 
and we have only space for a brief reference to the century 
and a half preceding the revolution — the discipline of which 
had prepared our fathers for the noble part they acted, and 
the mighty influence they exerted in founding a Republic which 
is now the admiration of the world. The seed planted here 
by the Pilgrim Fathers of New England was the growth of 
former cultivation within their church organization. They 
had there learned and put in practice their theory of the 
equality of God's people. 

A strife in the christian church had for a century divided 
Europe into two great parties, neither of which severed the 
church from the State. In England, from the days of Edward 
6th, there had been a struggle within the church of England ; 
the one party contending right loyally for her rites and 
ceremonies, the other (generally a meager minority), as loyally 
attaclied to her doctrines, but persistently and from generation 
to generation, pleading for " freedom to worship God." The 
government of England, in accordance with the spirit and 
almost universal practice of the age insisted upon uniformity 
in public worship. " Let everything be done with decency 
and in order." Those who dissented, the Puritans, organized 
independent churches and had meetings in secret places for 
religious service. When thus met, shut out from the world, 
they read "One is your master even Christ, and all ye are 
brethren." Notable among these churches because of their 
after fame, was the little company who for a long time met in 
the heart of England within the old Manor House of Elder 



19 

Brewster, and from thence fled, on being discovered, to 
Holland, where, surrounded by strangers of a strange speech, 
their very necessities still emphasized the text, " and all ye 
are brethren." 

Twelve years they lived in Holland, and we next find them 
signing the compact on board the Mayflower in Cape Cod har- 
bor, and settling their church and state at Plymouth. Extreme 
measures were instituted in England against nonconformity, 
and the Puritans were becoming more and more restive under 
their disabilities. Ten years experience at Plymouth had 
proved the possibility of finding subsistence in the wilds of 
New England, and in the summer of 1(j30 nearly 2,000 of 
these people came over from England and settled in and 
around Boston. And now it became necessary so to extend 
the local government of the one town of Plymouth as to cover 
a community of towns, and the one restriction in their fran- 
chise, which has been stigmatized as illiberal, was simply the 
one restriction which enabled them to make all else free. In 
their churches all were equal, all were brethren, and when 
the suffrage of the civil state was confined to the members of 
their churches, there appeared no reason why their theory of 
church government should not also prevail in their civil affairs. 
The citizens of Dorchester, Newtown, and Watertown, had 
participated in the organization of the government at the Bay, 
and when they came here and settled at Windsor, Hartford, 
and Wethersfield, they removed that one restriction and made 
their civil government as free as their church. " He who 
brought us over will sustain us." Five years after their ar- 
rival here a Constitution was framed and adopted: the first 
written Constitution defining and limiting the powers of the 
government which the world had ever seen. The compact of 
the Pilgrim Fathers simply provided for a government to he 
organized by a majority of the people. The majority could 
have placed all the power in the hands of their worthy leader, 
Elder Brewster. Connecticut made a Constitution which was 
afterwards largely embodied in the charter of Charles II, 
which was granted 22 years later — a charter which, with the 
exception of the period of Andros's usurpation in 1687 — 



20 

when it slept in the heart of the charter oak — was the charter 
of onr liberties down to and through the war of the Revolu- 
tion, and for 42 years after the Declaration liad severed us 
from the authority of the mother country. And when our 
present Constitution was framed in 1818, Alexander Wolcott, 
a delegate to the convention from Middletown, though a citizen 
of Windsor until his appointment to the custom house there, 
opposed its adoption, declaring it " a mere embodiment of 
King Charles's Charter."* That written Constitution of 1640, 
the model of the Constitution of the Union and of so many 
States of the Union, was largely the work of Roger Ludlow, 
one of the first settlers of Windsor, whose house lot was a 
little south of us, within the sound of my voice. Roger Lud- 
low was the first Deputy Governor under that first Constitu- 
tion, and helped to establish the first precedents in legislation 
under it. As at a later day, Oliver Ellsworth of Windsor, in 
the capacity of Senator, aided in shaping the first legislation 
under the Constitution of the United States. And as Chief 
Justice, presided over its Supreme Court, the rules of which 
Court are said to have been largely copied from the Rules of 
the Connecticut Courts. 

I have thus attempted to trace the origin of Republicanism 
in New England, and the influence of it through four or five 
generations, in molding the character of those who fought 
the battles of the revolution, and changed their allegiance 
from the King of England, to the American Republic, with- 
out changing the form or spirit of their civil government. 

The town meetings of Windsor, at the present day, are 
governed by the same rules our fathers liad, and have no 
more power, and are no more free, than they were two centu- 
ries ago. 

Within a year of the settlement of Boston, a Windsor In- 
dian went down to Boston and Plymouth inviting trade and 
settlement. Plymouth accepted the invitation and sent Capt. 
Holmes in the fall of 1633, with material for a Trading House, 

* John M. Niles in Stiles' History. 



21 

which he set up and fortified on the west bank of the Con- 
necticut, below the mouth of the Tuiixis.* 

Most of the settlers of this town were from Dorchester, 
Mass., and by way of distinction were called the Dorchester 
people. Their liomes in England had been scattered over 
the counties of Devon, Dorset, and Somersetsliire, and of 
tlieir worth it is said that " three counties were sifted for so 
goodly a. company." As before said, they arrived at Dor- 
chester, Mass., 1630, where they suffered many privations, 
and they were hardly more than comfortably settled there, 
when the fame of the rich open meadows on the Connecticut 
river led them hither. The Pioneers of the Dorchester Co. 
reached here, we think, as early as the middle of June, 
1635,t and after July 6th, but before the Dorchester men had 
decided just where to locate, Sir Robert Saltonstall's vessel, 
with another party, under charge of Mr. Francis Stiles, 
arrived to make provision for the accommodation of certain 

♦ The Plymouth people retained possession of their Trading House and lands 
adjacent, two years before and three years after the arrival of the Dorchester and 
Saltonstall people. They were amenable to the jurisdiction of the General 
Court, [See Colonial Records, vol. I, page 16.] Their lands were entered on the 
town records with the lands of the other settlers ; they shared their Indian title 
with the Dorchester people for a valuable consideration, retaining one-sixteenth 
part thereof, which amounted in meadow land to 43f acres which was set to them 
around their Trading House, and they continued to occupy it a full year after 
they were merged in full fellowship with the Windsor people, and when they sold 
their meadow in 1638, they sold "lands, houses, servants, goods and chattels," — 
there was no break between the settlement of the Plymouth people and the Dor- 
chester people. 

t Jonathan Brewster, who wrote from the Trading House, of the arrival of 
the Dorchester people under date of July 6, 1636, " for the first Co. had well 
nigh starved, had it not been for this house, for want of victuals, I being forced 
to supply twelve men for nine days together, and those which came last I enter- 
tained as best we could, helping both them (and the others) with canoes and 
guides. They got me to go with them to the Dutch to see if they could procure 
some of them to have quiet settling near them. — [The Hartford people had not 
arrived !] Also I gave their goods house room according to their earnest request, 
and what trouble and charges I shall be further at I know not, for they are com- 
ing daily, and I expect those back again from below whither they have gone to 
view the country." And the Saltonstall party who wanted the Dorchester party 
. to give way and let them have the land about the Tunxis, stated in their com- 
plaint the next year that when they arrived, the Dorchester men had not returned 
from viewing the land " above the falls," i. e. had not actually taken up the 
ground. 



22 

Lords and Gentlemen in England, who then anticipated 
settling on the banks of the Connecticut, but afterwards find- 
ing prospect of relief from their disabilities at home, they aban- 
doned their plan of emigration, and we find Mr. Francis Stiles 
and the men under his charge sharing with the Derchester men 
in the first distribution of land, 1640 ; at which time all the 
land on the road from the Little or Tunxis river '-' to Wm. 
Hayden's lot," [Hayden Station,] was laid out in home lots.* 
On the south side of the river, the road ran from the ferry to 
the present residence of David Rowland, thence south to 
the point where it now turns west. On this road were the 
houses of four prominent settlers. The road ran so far west 
as to reach the upland about the present track of the railroad, 
when it turned south, following the upland, probably below 
the present road to the island, crossing over and down the 
island, and on through the meadows to Hartford. Fronting 
on this road, and the little meadow, were nine or ten houses, 
between the ruins of the burned mill and the point where the 
road crossed to the island, and on the island were located several 
settlers. Broad St. was not then opened, but the road from 
the mill ruins continued west to the District School House, 
and thence on to the " Old Mill," and beyond. In this vicin- 
ity several families settled, and a few years later five families 
settled in Poquonock to cultivate the meadows there. f 

Upon the breaking out of the Pequot War. in 1637, the 
Windsor people, as a precaution against surprise by the 

*Mr. Francis Stiles' home lot covered the site of the Chief Justice Ellsworth 
place. All the houses were at first set on the east side of the road, on the brow 
of the Meadow hill, from whence they could overlook their cultivated lands. All 
else was an unbroken forest. The curves and angles in that road, the beaten 
track of which seven generations have followed, were made to carry the road to 
the house of each of the first settlers. 

t This Courte taking into consideracon the many dangers that the familyes of 
Thomas Holcombe, Edward Grisswold, John Bartlitt, Francis Grisswoid, and 
George Grisswold, all of Wyndsor, are in and exposed vnto, by reason of thier 
remoate liung from neighbors and nearenes to the Indians, in case they should 
all leaue thier families together without any guard ; doth free one souldicr of the 
fore menconed families from training vppon every training day; each family 
aforesaid to share herein according to the number of souldiers that are in them; 
provided that man w'^ tarryes at home stands about the aforesaid houses vpoa 
his sentinell posture. — Colonial Records, 1049. 



23 

Indians, built a fortification, or, as they called it, a Palisado. 
This was a stockade, erected on the nortli bank of the 
Tunxis, the east, south, and west lines of which stood 
directly on the brow of the hill. The palisades were 
strengthened by a ditch on the outside, the earth of which 
was thrown up against them. The north line ran across 
on the north line of, and parallel to, the north line of the 
present Congregational parsonage. The whole enclosure was 
a little less than one-quarter of a mile square. Into this 
Palisado were gathered, for safety, all the families of the 
town, with their cattle and effects, while Capt. Mason, and 
his little army of 90 Englishmen and 70 Indians, went 
down to fight the Pequots. A week after their departure, 
Mr. Ludlow writes, from within the Palisado, to his friend, 
Mr. Pyncheon, in Springfield. This letter gives us a view 
of their perilous condition. He gave an Indian a new coat 
for carrying it. " I have received your letter, wherein you 
express that you are well fortified, but few hands. For my 
part, my spirit is ready to sink within me, when, upon 
alarms, which are daily, I think of your condition, that if 
the case be never so dangerous, we can neither help you, 
nor you us. But I must confess, both you and ourselves do 
stand merely in the power of our God. * * * q^^j^, 
plantations are so gleaned by that small fleet we sent out 
[He pleaded military necessity for taking Mr. Pyncheon's 
boats, without his leave ; the boats were at or below " Ware- 
house Point"], that those that remain are not able to supply 
our watches, which are day and night ; that our people are 
scarce able to stand upon their legs ; and, for planting, we 
are in a like condition with you ; what we plant is before 
our doors — little anywhere else." The houses within the 
Palisado were built around and facing an open square ; 
around the rear of their house lots, and next the Palisado 
was a two-rod road for public convenience. The present 
Palisado Green is much less than its original size ; it was 
then as wide, or nearly so, at the north as at the south end. 
On the Green stood their meeting-house, and, a little later 
the town granted tiie privilege to Tahan Grant to build a 



24 

blacksmith shop, and James Eno to build a shop " to barber 
in," on the Green, west of the meeting-house. The site of 
the blacksmith shop is now covered by Gen. Pierson's house ; 
the other was just south of it. In the southwest corner of 
the Palisado was the ancient cemetery, containing the re- 
mains of Windsor's early dead. The town early made pro- 
vision to have David Wilson " clear the burying place of 
stubs and boughs, and sow it down to English grass." Here 
stands the monument of one of their first ministers — the oldest 
gravestone in Connecticut, and probably the first erected in 
New England.* 

The entrance from the south was at the southeast corner, 
where the present road goes down to the meadow ; the north 
entrance, where the road now runs in front of the Rev. Mr. 
Wilson's. At least some portion of the Palisado was stand- 
ing as late as 1715, Towards the close of the last century, 
the causeway and bridge were built, and the road, which 
had before run up on the east side of the Green, now runs 
diagonally through it, from the southwest to the northeast 
corner, and the previous encroachments on the west side 
were now continued up to the new road, leaving Palisado 
Green triangular in shape. It is still a point of great his- 
toric interest. On it stood the first meeting-house, of War- 
ham, Huit, and Chauncey, and the second, a larger house, 
with " two tiers of galleries," in which the famous Whitfield 
once preaciied to an audience too large to get within its 
doors. Those who live around it should guard it well. 

That invitation extended by the Indians in 1631 to the 
white man, to come and occupy the rich meadows bordering 
on tlie " Long River," accompanied with the promise of a 
supply of corn, and eighty beaver skins annually, was made 
to secure an ally able to protect them against the incursions 
of other hostile Indians, and this alliance provoked tlie hos- 

*IIeere Lyeth Ephniim Hvit sometimes Teacher to the Church of Windsor, 
who (iyeil September 4th 1644. 

Wlio When hee Lived, Wee drew ovr vital! breath, 
Wiio When hee Dyed, his dyinj; was ovr death, 
Who was _ve Stay of State, ye Churches Staff, 
Alas ye times Forbid an ei'itaph. 



25 

tility of the Pequots against the whites, and led to their mur- 
derous assaults. When Capt. Holmes arrived here, he bought 
of the Indians the lands lying along the river, from Hayden 
station on the North, to (probably) two or three miles below 
Windsor depot on the South. An entry in the Journal of 
Governor Bradford of Plymouth, made, doubtless, from reports 
received from the occupants of the Trading House, shows 
something of the miserable condition in which the Indians 
lived, and the terrible destruction the small pox wrought 
among them, and the humane efforts of the whites to assist 
them.* 

In 1614, a Dutch vessel from New York ascended the 
Connecticut river to latitude 41° 48', to about Wilson sta- 
tion. Tliey report a tribe of Indians there, and a fort, also an- 
other on the opposite side of the river, the Podunk Indians. 
After 1634 we find the Matianuck or Windsor Indians, and 
those at Wilson station, included in our community, perhaps 
had been when they were more numerous. Aramamet was 
a Matianuck Indian, and was evidently their chief. The 
Windsor people bought, what is now South Windsor, in 1636 ; 
it was bounded south by Podunk river, " over against the now 
dwelling house of Aramamet, or thereabouts, near the upper 
end of Newtown [Hartford] meadows." The next year, 
1637, the Pequot war broke out, and these Indians came for 

*This spring also, [1634,] those Indians that lived aboub their trading house, 
then fell sick of the small pox, and died most miserably. * * * The condition of 
this people was so lamentable, and they fell down so generally of this disease, as 
they were (in the end) not able to help one another; no, not to make a fire, nor 
to fetch a little water to drink, nor any to bury the dead ; but would strive as long 
as they could, and when they could procure no other means to make a fire, tliey 
would burn the wooden trays, the dishes they eat their meat in, and their very 
bows and arrows ; and some would crawl out on all fours to get a little water, 
and sometimes die by the way, and not be able to get in again. But those of the 
English house, (though at the first they were afraid of the infection,) yet seeing 
their woful and sad condition, and hearing their pitiful cries and himentations, 
they had compassion on them, and daily fetched them wood and water, and made 
them fires, got them victuals, while they lived, and buried them when they died. 
For very few of them escaped, notwithstanding they did what they could for 
them, to the hazard of themselves. Their chief sachem, himself now died, and 
almost all his friends and kindred. 



26 

protection and settled down again beside the Trading House, 
and were there in the spring of 1638.* 

The Plymouth Company had already sold to the Windsor 
people all their land with certain reservations, only 4of acres 
of which lay in Plymouth meadow. If the Indians had ap- 
propriated it all, we could not have inferred from it there was 
any considerable numljer of them. 

The late Frederick Chapman (born 1760,) once told me 
that when a boy, he went to a neighbor's house in the south 
part of the town, where he saw an Indian woman, (who was 
supported by the town,) the last of the tribe once occupying 
the ground, at Wilson station — would it not be a graceful 
tribute to the first known occupant of the spot to substitute 
the name of Aramamet ? 

There was another tribe of Indians within the present town 
of Windsor, who reserved in their deed, 1642, a " part of a 
meadow at Paquannick, now in the occupation of the Indians." 
This is now called Indian Neck, lying in a bend of the river, 
about east from Elm Grove. 

The Indians of this tribe signed, with others, the deeds of 
lands on the east side of the Connecticut and at Windsor Locks, 
as well as those of Poquonock, all the land they reserved to 
live on, would not make a good farm, and their numbers 
could not have been large. The extravagant estimates of 
Windsor Indians made a hundred years ago, were based on 
the traditions handed down by the grandmothers whose child- 
hood years had not been free from Indian alarms. It is 
doubtful whether they both numbered fifty souls. These two 
tribes comprised all the Indians living within the towns of 
Windsor and Windsor Locks in 1635. Windsor Indians 
appear to have remained friendly, — if we except Nasse- 
hegan, Sachem of the Poquonock, who was kept in confine- 
ment for a time in King Philip's war, 1676-6, but evidently 

*Upon complaint of Aramamett and the Indians coliabiting with him, abonte 
Lieftenant Holmes denying the phmting of the old grounde planted the la-^t yeere 
aboute Plymouth house. It was ordered tliat they should plante the old ground 
they planted the last yeere for this yeere onely, and they are to sell thiere wigwams 
in the old grounde [Wilson's Station,] and not withoute. — Colonial Records. 



27 

for no overt act of hostility. Some of King Philip's warriors 
fell upon Henry Denslow, the only settler at Pine Meadow, 
[Windsor Locks,] and killed him about the first of April, 
1676, and about the same time Mr. Elmore of Podunk was 
killed. But Indian alarms were of occasional occurrence un- 
til Canada was ceded to England, 1762. At such times 
nightly patrols were maintained, men carried their muskets 
into the fields, and to the house of God. 

Windsor soldiers went forth with Capt. Mason to fight the 
Pequots, 1637, and under Capt. Marshall to fight the Nara- 
gansetts, 1675, when the Captain and four of his men fell. 
Others went from time to time to the defence of the town of 
Northampton, Hadley, &c., some of whom lost their lives; 
others fought the French and Indians at Lake George, and 
elsewhere, 1758, and later. 

In closing, let me congratulate the citizeijs of this historic 
town, on the rich inheritance you have. Cherish the virtues, 
and emulate the heroic deeds of those who have preceded 
you, — who here labored and rejoiced. Appreciate the bless- 
ings of the lot God has given you, as did that eminent states- 
man and jurist, that genial neighbor and friend of our fathers, 
Oliver Ellsworth, who, near the close of his life, loved to re- 
peat, in his own terse language, as one of the results of his 
life experience : 

" I have traveled through several countries ; I love my 
own the best. 1 have traveled through all the States of our 
Union ; I prefer Connecticut before any other. Windsor is 
the pleasantest town in Connecticut, and I have the pleasant- 
est place in Windsor. I am content, perfectly content, to die 
on the banks of the Connecticut." 



At the close of the address, ui)on the motion of the Rev. 
Mr. Judkins, it was unanimously voted, to order the printing 
of a thousand copies of it for general distribution. 

Music by the choir followed, uf'er which the President in- 
troduced the Rev. R. H. Tutllc, who read the following Cen- 
tennial Ode : 



28 



CENTENNIAL ODE. 

BY REV. K. H. TDTTLE. 

The Chroniclers have told 

How Windsor castle old 
Eor centuries has been the home of kings; 

The grandenrof the place, 

Prized by the English race, 
A thing of beauty which the poet sings. 

(2.) 

But Windsor castle here. 

Built by a race austere. 
By those who slept at night upon their arms, 

Was the old Palisade 

The Indian did invade. 
Which Pilgrims guarded nightly 'mid alarms. 

(3.) 

Now after lapse of years 

Of human griefs and fears, 
The wondrous century plant for us doth bloom; 

Ye nations of the earth 

Come to our social hearth, 
For unto all we gladly say, " give room." 

(4.) 

Though the wild winds may roar 

Upon the mountain hoar. 
And fearful lightnings hurtle through the sky; 

Though waves of passion cast 

Their fury 'fore the blast — 
We know that God is nigh. 

(5.) 

Eor now the Northern star 

Beams not on scenes of war. 
Where once the battle poured its gory tide ; 

We mourn sad years of loss. 

Yet still the Southern cross 
Bids us stand side by side. 

(6.) 

We still are brothers all. 

And at our Country's call 
Would each and all defend her to the last ; 

We ever pray for peace, 

For years when war shall cease, 
And hence for ever every strife be cast. 



29 

(7-) 

Jesus of Bethlehem 

We touch thy garment's hem, 
As through the nations, Thou art passing by; 

For prophets have foretold 

That Thou art King, of old. 
Yea, everlastingly. 

(8.) 

For all our worldly things. 

Blessings, Thy Gospel brings. 
And every gift Thy free rich grace affords ; 

Ever we bow to Thee, 

Thy hand in all we see, 
"We hail Thee King of kings, and Lord of lords. 

On the conclusion of the reading of the Ode, the orator of 
the day, the Hon. George G. Sill, Lieutenant Governor of the 
State, and a native of Windsor, was introduced by the mar_ 
shall, and greeted with hearty cheers by the audience. His 
oration was of such a character as to add to his already 
well-earned reputation of being a sound and independent 
thinker, a discriminating reader of history, an eloquent as well 
as humorous speaker, and one who is fearless in the utterance 
of what he believes to be truth. He spoke of tlie Puritans 
as being a God-fearing, rather than a God-loving people, as a 
people who trembled at the thunders of Sinai, rather than 
trusted to the love manifested on Calvary — who feared God's 
justice more than they trusted his mercy. Religious liberty 
with them, was the liberty of everybody to worship God as 
they did, and they tolerated everybody who believed just as 
they believed. One of the blue laws of Connecticut, in refer- 
ence to the use of tobacco, was referred to, to illustrate the 
social tyranny of many of their laws. But notwithstanding 
all their faults — all that might be said against them — for 
every fault they had a thousand virtues ; for every bad thing 
that could be said against them a thousand good things could 
be said for them. He defended Governor Andross from the 
charge of being a tyrant, and expressed the hope that next 
winter the legislature of the State would make an addi- 
tional adornment of the walls of its senate chamber, by plac- 



30 

ing his portrait, "lovely and mild as the face of a woman," 
with the portraits of the other governors of the State. 

After refreshments, of which there was an abundance for 
all, the Hon. T. C. Coogan, of Windsor Locks, entertained 
the audience with an address full of congratulations to the 
people of Windsor for the important part its citizens had 
taken, not only in moulding the institutions of the State, but 
of the country. He was frequently applauded during his 
eloquent address, and all were glad that our senator honored 
us with bis presence. 

At this stage of the proceedings, the chairman of the com- 
mittee of arrangements, the Hon. H. S. Hayden, after con- 
gratulating all present upon the success of the celebration, 
stated that, in reply to an invitation extended by him to Pres- 
ident Grant, to be present and honor the day of the nation's 
birth in the home of his ancestor, Matthew Grant, who came 
to Windsor in 1635, and for many years as a surveyor and 
town recorder filled a large and honorable place in its history, 
he had received the following letter : 

WiNDSOE, June 26th, 1876. 
To General U. S. Grant, 

President of the United States, 

Washington, D. C. : 

Edward Chauncey Marshall, A. M., concludes his preface 
to "The Ancestry of General Grant and their contempora- 
ries," — 

" It may be suggested that General Grant should at some 
future period, make a pilgrimage to Windsor, the Mecca of 
his ancestral history, and he will see the early town records 
preserved now for more than two centuries, which were writ- 
ten carefully, and in a scholarly manner by the pioneer Mat- 
thew Grant. -And in Hartford he will find guarded with 
jealous care by Mr. Trumbull in the " Historical Library," the 
manuscript " Old Church Book," which is also in the hand- 
writing of ilatthew Grant." 

In view of the foregoing, associating your ancestry with 
the history of this ancient town, we take the liberty of 



31 

enclosing a card of invitation to be present at tlie " Centen- 
nial Picnic " of this the oldest town of the State of Con- 
necticut. 

I have the honor to be 

Your obedient servant, 
(Signed,) H. SIDNEY HAYDEN, 

Chairman of Committee of Arrangements. 

Executive Mansion, Washington, 
June 28th, 1876. 

Dear Sir : — The President directs me to acknowledge the 
receipt of your favor of the 26th inst., enclosing a card of 
invitation to be present at the Centennial Picnic at Windsor, 
on July 4th, and express his thanks for the courteous at- 
tention. 

He regrets that his engagements will not permit him to 
accept. 

1 am, very respectfully, yours, 

U. S. GRANT, Jr., 

Secretary. 
To H. Sidney Hayden, 

Windsor, Conn. 

Windsor, Conn., June 28, 1876. 
Hon. R. B. Hayes, Governor of Ohio, 

Dear Sir: Having learned from the Hon. H. Lynde Harri- 
son, delegate to the Cincinnati Convention, that you refer with 
pleasure to the settlement of your ancestors in Connecticut, 
and that to Windsor belongs the honor of their first citizen- 
ship, I take great pleasure in enclosing card of invitation to 
Windsor's first Centennial. If not convenient to be present 
will you oblige us with subject-matter for consideration, and 
greatly oblige. Yours Respectfully, 

H. SIDNEY HAYDEN, 

for the Committee. 

From Governor Hayes, of Ohio, whose first American ances- 
tor of the name of Hayes was George Hayes, a Scotchman, 



32 

who settled in Windsor, Connecticut, about 1680, the follow- 
ing reply was received, regretting his inability, through press 
,of business, to comply with the invitation extended to him : 

Columbus, Ohio, July 1, 1876. 
Bear Sir: Governor Hayes desires me to acknowledge, with 
sincere thanks, receipt of your valued favor of June 28th, and 
to assure you that he is deeply gratified by its friendly expres- 
sions. He regrets that the demands upon his time are so 
excessive at present that he is unable to prepare the communi- 
cation you request, and he begs that you will excuse him. 
Very Respectfully, 

ALFRED E. LEE, Secretary. 
To Mr. H. Sidney Hayden, 
Windsor, Conn. 

Judge H. S. Hayden then read the following toasts: 

1. The Day we Celebrate — Made glorious by the declara- 
tion of our fathers, and by their long suffering, patience, and 
fortitude, in making good their declaration. 

2. Washington — The first in war, the first in peace, and 
the first in the hearts of his countrymen. 

3. The Ladies as Mothers, Wives, and Companions — The 
more we consult and confide in them, the more beautiful, 
chaste, and permanent, will our future become. 

4. Civil and Religious Liberty — The cardinal virtues, 
wanting which no republic can hope for a permanent existence. 

5. Education — Obligatory, but free to all, the first and 
absolute requirement to qualify a man for the political fran- 
cliise. 

6. Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce — The natu- 
ral fountains of national wealth and grandeur. 

7. Our Mercantile Shipping — The strong right arm of 
wealth and defense, the toll collector of commerce, the busy 
bee which brings home gold and glittering gems, and spread- 
ing our flag in every part of our globe, makes us respected, 
feared and admired by all nations. 

8. Old Windsor — Beautiful as a bride in youth and loveli- 
ness, we adore her as our mother. 



33 

9. The Executive, Judiciary, and Legislature of Connect- 
icut — A model of firmness, justice, and purity. 

10. The Centennial Exhibition — The great and worthy 
offspring of our prosperity and marvelous growth ; Connecticut 
is honored in its presidency, and the Hon. Joseph R. Hawley 
honors the position wliich he occupies. 

11. We acknowledge the guidance of Almighty God, and 
ask His blessing. 

Among the volunteer toasts were the following: 

Oliver Ellsworth — Chief justice of the supreme court of the 
United States, and one of the architects of our national con- 
stitution. By Dr. P. W. Ellsworth, of Hartford. 

July 4th — The anniversary of a great political event, on 
which Americans should not merely consider what they are as 
a nation and people, but also what under their chartered 
political institutions and the favor of God they might and 
ought to be. By General F. E. Mather. 

Connecticut — Her declaration of the absolute rights of man, 
and her system of common school education have fitted her 
sons to pioneer territories and found governments on the same 
principles, wherever they go. By Osbert B. Loomis. 

After the reading of the toasts the Hon. Mr. Rainey, a rep- 
resentative in Congress from South Carolina, who has a sum- 
mer residence in Windsor, addressed the audience. He spoke 
of the advancement of the nation and the world in the arts 
and sciences, and in all that constitutes material greatness, 
through the inventive genius of American citizens. He was 
proud that he was an American citizen, since the nation had 
proved its sincerity to the doctrines of its Declaration of Inde- 
pendence by making all of its citizens free and equal before 
the law. 

Dr. Ellsworth, a grandson of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, 
a native of Windsor, Dr. Stiles, author of "Stiles' History of 
Windsor," General William S. Pierson, of Windsor, Lemuel 
Stoughton and Jabez W. Allen, Esqs., of East Windsor, the 
Hon. John W. Stoughton, of South Windsor, and Mr. Oliver 
Hayden, of East Granby, each made short and interesting 
speeches, and added greatly to the enjoyment of the occasion. 
6 



34 

Mr. Franklin Bolles, of Windsor, was introduced, and read 
the following poem : 

Windsor, thy sons to-day would crown 
Thy name with honor and renown ; 
Thy daughters would their rivals be, 
In the loved work of praising thee. 

0, ancient, brave, historic town. 
Thy name deserves the brightest crown ; 
And while thy praise the muses sing, 
Our hearts a grateful tribute bring. 

Among our towns thou wast firstborn. 
Thy first crops pumpkins, Indian corn ; 
Brave men, and maidens sweet and fair. 
Were also raised, with tenderest care. 

'Twas here our fathers wrought in pain, 
Freedom to sow, nor wrought in vain. 
The seed brought forth a harvest grand. 
That now waves over all our land. 

The king had sent unto our shore 
His minions, who the red coats wore ; 
And Indian foes, on either hand. 
Were dwelling near, a treacherous band. 

Those days were dark, men quaked with fear. 
For many a tory, too, was here ; 
Those were the times that patriots tried, 
Still they believed God would provide. 

Upon a pleasant April morn. 
When Eussell* to his grave was borne, 
When prayer was done, when read the Word, 
The sound of hurrying hoofs was heard, 

Then came the news. On panting steed 
Came messenger with utmost speed. 
Arouse ! brave men, the war 's begun. 
At Concord, and at Lexington. 

And hasty hoof to SuflBeld's farms. 
Soon spread the Lexington alarms ; 
Man left the forge, the shop, the field, 
Vowed that to Britain they'd ne'er yield. 

* Rev. Mr. Russell. 



35 

That night in preparation spent, 
At dawn of clay they marching went. 
They left their homes at rosy morn, 
"With blanket, musket, powder horn. 

Those heroes, when the work was done 
Assigned to them, beneath the sun, 
On yonder hill, in peace were laid, 
Their bones within the palisade. 

Upon the scroll of deathless fame, 
Should be inscribed the honored names 
Of Windsor men, their brave compeers, 
The noble men of those dark years. 

In all things, for the good of man. 
Old Windsor, she has led the van ; 
Her sons have helped to mould the State, 
In all that's noble, good, or great. 

The nation felt their mouldiug powers, 
When passing through her darkest hours. 
Their influence, down the years has passed, 
And will through coming ages last. 

Thy sturdy sons, whom God hath blest. 
Are known throughout the mighty west, 
From where Atlantic's billows roar, 
They're dwellers to Pacific's shore. 

Thy sons returning to our State, 
If rich or poor, humble or great, 
Where'er you dwell, where'er you roam. 
Thrice welcome ever to our home. 

Grandfather's chair is empty now. 
And age your father's head doth bow ; 
Your mother soon will pass away ; 
'Tis well you're home again to-day. 

Our fertile fields are fresh and green, 

In nature's face God's love is seen ; 

He whispers in the passing breeze, 

Sweet words drop from these grand old trees. 

Our rivers, sparkling 'neath the sun, 
Connecticut, and Farmington, 
Once, o'er their waters deep and blue, 
Floated the Indian's light canoe. 



36 

"Where, 'neath these genial northern skies, 
Save here, was Indians' paradise? 
Say ! where do brighter waters gleam 
Beneath the sun, than yonder stream 1 

Partridge and turkey did abound 
Through all this Indian hunting ground, 
But better now, on every plain, 
We pluck the corn, and reap the grain. 

Gone from the woods are buck and doe ; 
No more we meet the savage foe ; 
Their bones, they mingle dust with dust, 
Their buried hatchets changed to rust. 

How great the change that Time hath wrought, 
The freedom that the years have brought ; 
Our fathers sowed the seed in pain. 
We garner freedom's ripened grain. 

What father here can tell the son 
The half a hundred years have done 1 
What mighty change that steam hath wrought 1 
The wisdom that the press hath taught 1 

But, ah ! the peace that reigneth here. 
It cost the blood of brothers dear ; 
Fair maidens gave their dearest ones, 
The widowed mothers gave their sons. 

Weep not for those whose toils are o'er. 
Sweet peace broods o'er the farther shore ; 
They're done with pain and earthly strife, 
Are born again to endless life. 

My friends, to-day you may rejoice, 
For the air rings with freedom's voice ; 
Beneath our vine and fig tree's shade 
We sit, with none to make afraid. 

God, let peace reign o'er this land, 
All nations form a brother band ; 
O'er bloody chasm let true men clasp 
Their hands for aye, in friendly grasp. 

And when we join our vanished ones, 
God, inspire our living sons ; 
And ever guided by thy will. 
May Town and Nation prosper still. 



37 

At the conclusion of the poem, the Hon: H. S. Hayden, 
after thanking all for their presence, and for their efforts to 
niake this celebration the glorious celebration it was, moved 
" that we extend an invitation to all who shall be in the town 
of Windsor 100 years from to-day to celebrate, on this same 
spot, the second centennial of our nation's Declaration of In- 
dependence." The motion was unanimously adopted, with 
much enthusiasm. 

The exercises were appropriately closed by singing the 
Doxology by the choir and the audience, and the pronouncing 
of the benediction by the E,ev. B. Judkins. In the evening 
there was a fine display of fireworks upon the Green, and 
good music by the band. 

The celebration was every way gratifying to the citizens of 
Windsor. The spirit of peace and good will seemed to pos- 
sess all hearts, and there were no disorderly occurrences to 
disturb the harmony of the exercises of the day. Satisfaction 
was plainly pictured upon all faces, as the people parted for 
their several homes. May the second page of one hundred 
years of our country's history show an increased occasion for 
gratitude for our noble heritage. 

Honorable mention is made of many of the first families of 
Windsor in that interesting and valuable address of Rev. Charles 
Hammond, delivered at the Tolland County Centennial Cele- 
bration, a part of which is selected, and also the notice con- 
tained in Professor Elias Loomis' Memorial,* to which the 
same author refers, respecting the Loomis Institute, wliich, in 
the not distant future, will form an important feature of 
Windsor's prosperity, and a list of soldiers in the American 
Revolutionary Army. 

" In 1874, James C. Loomis, Hezekiah B. Loomis, Osbert B, 
Loomis, H. Sidney Hayden and his wife, and John Mason 
Loomis were constituted a corporate body by the name of the 

* The result of all my labors is a catalogue of 8686 persons bearing the Loomis 
name and believed to be descended from Joseph Loomis of Windsor, besides the 
names of 4682 persons who have intermarried with them. There are not manw^ 
new names to be looked for except in the new States of the West. — Elias Loomis' 
Genealogy of the Loomis Family. 



38 

Loomis Institute. This Institute is designed for the gratui- 
tous education of persons of the age of twelve years and up- 
wards, and is to be located on the original homestead of 
Joseph Loomis on "The Island," in Windsor, Conn. 

This homestead is situated on elevated ground on the west 
bank of the Connecticut river, and commands an uncommon- 
ly fine view of the river and valley. Since the death of 
Joseph Loomis this site has always been in the possession of 
some one of his lineal descendants to the present time. It 
is the design of the corporators to do what they can to endow 
this Institution, and in this they desire the cooperation of all 
the Loomis family, that the Institution may become a lasting 
monument to the memory of Joseph Loomis, and a blessing 
to tiie town whicli he selected for his refuge from the annoy- 
ances to which Puritans were subjected in the mother 
country." 



A List of Soldiers in the American Revolutionary Army, who loere 
Natives of or Enlisted from the Town of Windsor, Conn. 



Elisha AUyn, 
Moses AUyn, 
George AUyn, 
Solomon AUyn, Jr., 
John AUyn, 
John AUyn, Jr., 
Joseph AUyn, 
Joseph Alford, 
Samuel Andrus, 
David Barber, 
David Barber, Jr., 
Reuben Barber, 
Shubael Barber, 
Jerijah Barber, 
Ethan Barker, 
Joseph Barnard, 
Joseph Barnard, Jr. 
Samuel Barnard, 
Stephen Barnes, 
Abel Barnes, 



Henry BarziUa, 
Ezra Beckett, 
Ezra Beckwith, 
EUhu Benton, 
Jonathan Bidwell, 
CorneUus BisseU, 
David BisseU, Jr., 
EUas BisseU, 
Eben'r Fitch BisseU, 
Daniel BisseU, 
Jedediah Blanchard, 
Daniel Bogue, 
John Brister, 
EUas Brown, 
Ezra Brown, 
Jude C Brown, 
Samuel Brown, Jr., 
Justus Brown, 
Michael Brown, 
Daniel Brown, 



Samuel Brownson, 
Thomas Burr, 
Thomas (?) Burn, 
CorneUus Cahale, 
Daniel Cammarura, 
Patrick Canny, 
Benjamin Case, Jr., 
Gideon Case, 
Benoni Case, 
Frederick Case, 
Oliver Case, 
Isaac Chandler, 
Levi Chandler, 
Frederick Chapman, 
Levi Carter, 
Ezekiel Clark, 
Ezekiel Clark, Jr., 
Benjamin Clark, — " 
George Clark, 
Solomon Clark, 






Daniel Clark, 
Elias Clark, 
David Clark, / 
Moses Clark, i 
Louis Colton, • 
David Colvin, 
Jabez Colt, 
Shubael Cook, 
Richard Cook, \ 
Abner Cook, \ 

William Cook, 
Abel Cook, 
Eli Cook, 
Timothy Cook, 
Joel Cook, 
William Cook, Jr., 
Samuel Coy, 
Elias Crow, 
Timothy Coon, 
Samson Cuff, 
David Daniels, 
Burdon Davies, 
William Davies, 
Isaac Day, 
John Day, 
Joel Denslow, 
Martin Denslow, 
Elihu Denslow, 
Elijah Denslow, 
Samuel Denslow, Jr., 
Reuben Denslow, 
Elias De Wolf, 
Luke Dickens, 
Lory Drake, 
Abiel Drake, 
Augustine Drake, 
Ebenezer Drake, 
David Donalds, 
Philemon Duset, 
John Duset, 
Edward, (negro,) 



39 

Joseph Eggleston, 
Nathaniel Eggleston, 
Isaac Eggleston, 
Timothy Eggleston, 
James Eggleston, 
David Eggleston, 
Jonathan Eggleston, 
Samuel Eggleston, 
Thomas Eggleston, 
Phinehas Elmer, 
James Enos, 
Erasmus Enos, 
Roger Enos, 
Abijah Enos, 
James Enos, 
Frank, (colored,) 
Hezekiah Filley, 
Moses Filley, 
Jonah Filley, 
Mark Filley, (?) 
John Filer, 
Horace Filer, 
Norman Filer, 
Stephen Fosbury, 
Zachariah Foster, 
Obadiah Fuller, 
Eliakim Gaylord, 
Eleazur Gaylord, 
David Gibbs, 
Rufus Gibbs, 
Samuel Gibbs, 
John Gibbs, 
Abel Gillet, 
Daniel Gillet, 
Jonah Gillet, 
Aaron Gillet, 
Daniel Gillet, 
Elihu Griswold, 
laaac Griswold, 
Edward Griswold, 
Phinehas Griswold, 



cor/N 



Abel Griswold, 
Abiel Griswold, 
Moses Griswold, 
Friend Griswold, 
Geo. Griswold, 3d, 
Thomas Griswold, 
Jonah Griswold, 
Noah Griswold, 
Alexander Griswold, 
Nathaniel Griswold, 
William Hall, 
Philip Halsey, 
Hamond, (colored,) 
Hezekiah Hayden, 
Thomas Hayden, 
Nathaniel Hayden, 
Ezra Hayden, 
Oliver Hayden, 
Levi Hayden, 
Jabez Haskell, 
Thomas Haze, 
Thaddeus Hide, 
Theopilus Hide, 
Elijah Hill, 
John Hill, 
Reuben Hill, 
Matthias Holcomb, 
Elijah Holcomb, 
Joseph Holcomb, 
Matthew Holcomb, 
Joseph Holcomb, 
Daniel Holliday, Sr., 
Daniel Holliday, Jr., 
Daniel Hooker, 
Alvin Hoolbod, 
Asa Hoskins, 
Pere Hoskins, 
Timothy Hoskins, 
Zebulon Hoskins, 
Elijah Hoskins, 
Alvin Hurlburt, 



40 



Alexander Hurlbiirt, 
William Jacobs, 
Reuben King, 
John Keaton, 
Obed Lamberton, Jr., 
"William Lamberton, 
Nath'l Lamberton, 
Ahaliab Latimer, 
George Latimer, 
Amos Lawrence, 
Amos Lawrence, Jr., 
Oliver Lee, 
Stephen Loomis, Jr., 
George Loomis, 
Jonathan Loomis, 
Eliphalet Loomis, 
Gideon Loomis, 
Watson Loomis, 
Ephraim Loter, 
Levi Loveland, 
Ephraim Lovewell, 
Andrew Mack, 
Joseph Marsh, 
Samuel Marshall, Jr., 
Elijah Marshall, 
Elisha Marshall, 
Elihu Mather, 
Increase Mather, 
Samuel Mather, 
Dr. Timothy Mather, 
John Mather, 
Neil McLean, Jr., 
Joseph Millard, 
John Miller, 
Roswell Miller, 
Elijah Mill, Jr., 
(?) Elisha Mills, 
Oliver Mitchell, 
Simon Moore, Jr., 
Elisha Moore, 
Asa Moore, 



Asa Moore, 
Philander Moore, 
Benjamin Moore, 
James Morris, 
William Munro, 
Alpheus Munsell, 
Israel Negus, 
Moses Niles, 
Alvin Owen, 
William Parsons, 
Thomas Parsons, 
Peletiah Parsons, 
Dr. Isaac Phelps, 
Isaac Phelps, Jr., 
Daniel Phelps, 
Alexander Phelps, 
Job Phelps, 
Cornelius Phelps, 
John Phelps, 
Timothy Phelps, Jr., 
Ehsha Phelps, 
Austin Phelps, 
Elijah Phelps, 
Enoch Phelps, 
Daniel Phelps, 
Jesse Phelps, 
John Phelps, 
OUver Phelps, 
Josiah Phelps, 
Seth Phelps, 
Launcelot Phelps, 
William Phelps, 
Phinehas Picket, 
Aaron Pinney, 
Jonathan Pinney, 
Noah Pinney, 
Phylaster Pinney, 
Juda Pinney, 
Martin Pinney, 
Nathaniel Pinney, 
John Pinney, 



Jonathan Pomeroy, 
Daniel Porter, 
Daniel Porter, Jr., 
Allyn Prior, 
Abner Prior, 
Abner Prior, Jr., 
Dr. Primus Prior, 
Providence Prior, 
Plymouth Prior, 
Daniel Rice, 
Peter Roberts, 
Clark Roberts, 
John Roberts, 
Paul Roberts, 
John Rowel, 
Silas Rowley, 
Philander Rowley, 
Job Rowley, 
David Rowland, 
Sherman Rowland, 
John Russell, 
Cornelius Russell, 
William Seymour, 
Joseph Seymour, 
Rememb'ce Sheldon, 
Elijah Smith, 
Timothy Soper, 
Ambrose Sperry, 
Robert Starks, 
Ashbel Stiles, 
Elijah Stoughton, 
William Taylor, 
Stephen Taylor, 
Isaac Thrall, 
David Thrall, 
Willliam Thrall, Jr., 
Giles Thrall, 
Timothy Troy, 
Thomas Vanduzer, 
Patteshal Wakefield, 
Jesse Wall, 



41 



Isaac Ward well, 
Ebenezer Wardwell, 
Loomis Warner, 
George Warner, 
Timothy Webster, 
Zephaniah Webster, 
Micah Webster, 
Ebenezer Welch, 
Lemuel Welch, 
Gershom West, 
Joseph Westland, 



Robert Westland, 
Amos Westland, Jr., 
John Wheeler, 
John Whiting, 
John Wilson, 
John Winch ell, 
Joseph Winchell, 
Joseph Wing, 
Samuel Wing, 
Moses Wing, 
Roger Wing, 



Calvin Wilson, 
Abiel Wilson, 
Samuel Wilson, 
Moses Wilson, 
Joel Wilson, 
James Wilson, 
Oliver Woodward, 
Eben'r Woolworth, 
Abel Wright, 
Ebenezer Young. 



[From Published Report ] 

THE FOURTH ON TOLLAND HILLS. 

" A County Celebration. — The Rev. Charles Hammond of 
Munson, Mass., a native of Union and at one time a clergy- 
man of Tolland, next read the address. After an introduc- 
tion sliowing the value of local liistories of the heroic age of 
America, and the necessity of preserving the specific facts in 
the careers of these towns from the all-corroding tooth of time, 
the orator went on to discuss the events having special rela- 
tion to the transaction that was now being celebrated. It was 
to be remembered that Connecticut was of far greater relative 
importance one hundred years ago than now, being second in 
power and influence only to Virginia and Massachusetts. 
New York was then a frontier colony, and the country one 
hundred miles west of Albany was a howling wilderness. 
Singular as it may seem Connecticut was then called the pro- 
vision colony and was largely relied upon during the revolu- 
tion to feed the army. The soldiers who went to the war 
were mostly the sons of the founders of the towns. These 
founders came chiefly from the Connecticut valley and the 
counties of eastern Massachusetts. If it was true that God 
sifted three kingdoms to plant New England with choice seed, 
he was persuaded that it was by some such process that it 
happened that emigrants of the oldest towns of the oldest col- 
onies of Plymouth, Masachusetts, and Connecticut were moved 
to found these towns. Windsor gave both land and men 
6 



42 

and Tolland and Ellington were incorporated from her 
large domain. Land companies were formed in Windsor and 
Hartford by the leading citizens to pnrchase wilderness lands, 
to organize townships and sell their proprietary rights, or to 
become settlers themselves. In this way Tolland, Ellington, 
Willington, Stafford, Union, Bolton, and other towns were 
settled. On the proprietary records of these towns we find 
the name of Governor Joseph Talcott of Hartford, a grantee 
of Stafford ; Governor Roger Wolcott of Windsor, a grantee 
of Willington ; Henry and Simon Wolcott of Windsor, grantees 
of Willington. Jonathan Ellsworth and Captain John Ells- 
worth of Windsor, were grantees of Tolland and Union and 
great imcles of Chief Justice Ellsworth. Captain John was 
the brother-in-law of President Edwards. Simon Chapman, 
Joshua Mills, and W^illiam Eaton, of Windsor, were grantees 
and emigrants of Tolland, where their sons, Samuel Chapman, 
Solomon Mills, and Solomon Eaton, became distinguished 
citizens and devoted patriots. From Windsor, too, came Ben- 
jamin Rockwell to Stafford, Samuel Rockwell to Tolland, and 
the Loomis family, whose memorials have been published by 
Professor Elias Loomis of Yale, himself a citizen of Willing- 
ton. From Windsor also came the Strongs of Union, Stafford, 
Bolton, and Coventry, the great family of the Connecticut 
valley. Joseph Trumbull, father of the governor, came from 
Suffield to Lebanon, and Benoni, his brother, father of Ben- 
jamin Trumbull, the historian of the State, and of the Rev. 
John of Watertown, the latter the author of McFingal, to 
Hebron. Noah and Nathaniel Grant came from Windsor, 
and became Tolland proprietors. The historic Matthew 
Grant, whom Horace Bushnell calls a fellow scout of Putnam, 
but wliom Sidney Stanley thinks a myth, came from this 
stock." 



To Messrs. Hayden, Loomis, Phelps, Case, and Duncan, 
Committee : 

Gentlemen : — With pleasure I acknowledge your invita^tion 
to the " Centennial Picnic," in Windsor. 



43 

It is the more agreeable, because " all the inhabitants of 
Windsor " are requested to participate therein. This, like 
the charter of our institutions (which declares equality the 
birthright of all) makes no distinction of race, SGct, social 
position, or political partialities. 

Such was the character of the early celebration of our 
National natal day, and most fortunate would it be if it 
should be revived and perpetuated. 

In later years the observance of the day has been too much 
neglected, and when observed, instead of commemorating the 
great event of a Nation's birth, the occasion has too often 
been perverted to partisan schemes, or to a pharisaical self- 
laudation, unbecoming to our intelligent and enlightened 
people. 

The day should be devoted to an honest review of the past 
and consideration of the present, and to such social inter- 
course as tends to mollify if not remove partisan and other 
asperities. In other words, its observance should be such as 
to contribute to our intellectual and moral culture, and 
quicken us to a faithful discharge of all our political duties. 

The men, and women too, who effected our emancipation 
from kingly rule, displayed such devotion, self-denial, and 
long suffering, as is rarely witnessed. 

Of our fundamental principles, they gave us all that is 
worth having. They made and left for us free institutions, 
based not upon mere toleration, but upon absolute, " unalien- 
able rights." When I say us, I mean all who are or shall 
become American citizens, whether by the accident of birth, 
by choice, or by forced exile. 

By our constitutions. National and State, we are a cosmo- 
politan people; or, as is sometimes said, this country is the 
asylum for the oppressed of all nations. We have been cos- 
mopolitan from the first. Our independence was not achieved 
by citizens of this country alone. To this catholic fact must 
be credited much of our present material power and import- 
ance. All the various national characteristics thus brought 
together must and do in due time assimilate. Like the cease- 
less action of the ocean's waves upon the pebbles on its shore, 



44 

this process removes many strong corners and angular points 
of ignorance and prejudice. It also quickens the intellect, 
increases knowledge, stimulates enterprise, and awakens laud- 
able ambition. 

The civilized world admits that in all pertaining to physical 
greatness and power, we, as a people, have advanced with 
giant strides. 

But we sliould remember that in the same time other coun- 
tries have made great progress — that in the greatest of our 
achievements, we have succeeded only by tlie aid of capital 
and labor from other ])eoples, and that in our expanse of ter- 
ritory and diversity of climate, we have the means for achiev- 
ing a greatness which none of the other nations possess. 

Whilst we may indulge in a modest complacency at our 
physical progress during the last century, it is neither wise 
nor becoming to be vain-glorious, oi- vaunt too much " spread- 
eagleism." Sometimes at least, " pride goeth before a fall." 

There is a dark side to our picture, wbich should not be 
overlooked. 

On an occasion like this, the entire field sliould be surveyed 
to find the exact truth. We should close our eyes to nothing 
having relation to a government of freedom and equality for 
ourselves and our successors. 

It is well by comparison, to see whether we have or have 
not maintained in their purity all the fundamental political 
principles and maxims Iramed and transmitted to us by the 
great and patriotic men of the revolution. 

They reversed the maxim that rulers are such " by the 
grace of (rod," and proclaimed that all their just powers are 
derived from, and that tlicy are the servants of, the people. 

Is this practically true now ? Theoretically it is true, and 
will be, so long as there are people to be flattered and ca- 
joled by unscrupulous politicians and demagogues. But is it 
true that all office-holders do nothing except wdiat the people 
have deputed them to do ; or that they deport themselves as 
the servants of and trustees ibr the people ? Do they first 
and at all times seek to maintain the rights and protect the 
interests of the people ? If not, they should be cast out, and 
branded as traitors. 



45 

Again, every reflecting person knows that a government of 
freedom and equality is necessarily based upon public virtue, 
and that without such it cannot be maintained. 

Public virtue is neither more nor less than aggregated pri- 
vate virtue ; individual truthfulness, honesty, and integrity. 

Within the last few years we have had conclusive proofs 
that there are public officials who are neither truthful nor hon- 
est ; men who have sought office as a means for wronging, not 
serving the people ; men who, if not themselves thieves, have 
complacently encouraged or permitted their subordinates and 
associates to steal. 

I say this in no partisan sense ; such men will attach them- 
selves to any party and watch for their opportunities. The 
important question is, whether there is a public virtue which 
will visit such with the scorn and punishment which they 
merit. 

It has been said that, as a rule, tlie man eleted to an office 
is the equal of his constituents in virtue. This mucli is cer- 
tain, that when the people elect an official who is either in- 
competent or corrupt, that act indicates either a lack of honest 
intelligence or a besotted partisan prejudice which blinds 
them to their true interests and duty. 

If unbiassed reason and true independent manhood were 
freely exercised by every well-meaning elector in the discharge 
of his duty, his vote would always be cast for a man both 
honest and capable — and few would be placed where they 
could steal or squander the people's property. 

When men excuse, extenuate, or apologize for a corrupt 
official, with or without the plea of party necessity, we may 
safely conclude that with like opportunities they too would 
be corrupt. 

To steal or squander public money, whether of the general 
government or of the least municipal organization, is a robbery 
of the people as individuals. Every cent thereof has to be 
made up from their individual possessions or their productive 
labor, and the laborer always is the greatest sufferer. 

If this truth was better understood and appreciated, our 
people would not submit to such breaches of official trust 



46 

with the indifference now manifest. The remedy is with the 
people. The ballot is the only means by which we can main- 
tain our freedom and equality and protect property. 

To use the ballot rightly on all occasions is a serious and 
solemn duty, which should be discharged as carefully and 
scrupulously as if a religious duty, which in reality it may be 
deemed. 

Its use should be well considered in all its bearings as to 
principles and men, without passion or prejudice. 

It is far better that votes be cast for a worthy candidate, 
though unsuccessful, than for one whom the voter deems un- 
worthy. 

Such a course of manly independence would soon deprive 
selBsh politicians of their vocation, and secure to the people 
more competent and honest candidates, from the highest to 
the lowest. 

There is too much machinery in our political action — too 
many self-constituted engineers, who with feigned modesty 
relieve the people from all care of their own rights and inter- 
ests, and make them foot the bills without a question. They 
are crafty and unscrupulous ; it is the study of their lives to 
delude and deceive the dear people by appeals to their vanity, 
passions, prejudices, fears, or venality; and the most detest- 
able of all men is he who for money or favor sells his vote. 

That they so often succeed by their flatteries and falsehoods 
is not creditable to our intelligence. If the institutions of 
which we so much boast and profess to prize are to be pre- 
served, the people must take the matter in hand, must give 
better consideration and mor0 attention to their individual 
political rights and duties, and must exact strict honesty and 
fidelity from all public officials. 

Nor can that be done too soon. Our political fabric, though 
not assailed openly, is every day being undermined by ambi- 
tion, venality, and corruption. 

Whilst I do not absolutely despair, I do feel that the apa- 
thy of the people, their seeming not to appreciate the dangers 
which are now so manifest, their besitation to speak of official 
crimes by their right names, or even admit their existence, 



47 

present a doubtful if not a gloomy future. This lias led me 
to write what I have, meaning not to pen a word which can 
justly be said to be partisan or local. If anything herein 
shall give rise to a new thought, or i-evive an old one, with a 
single individual, and quicken him to his political duties, I 
shall not have written in vain. 

Your obedient servant, 

F. E. MATHER. 
New York, June 30, 1876. 



[From Stiles' History of Ancient Windsor.] 

No town in New England can boast a worthier ancestry than Ancient Windsor. 
In social position, intellectual culture, sincere and fervent piety and sterling in- 
tegrity of character, here settlers were equaled by few and surpassed by none. 
They were not mere random adventurers seeking some fairy Utopia, and bound 
together by flimsj^ bonds of selfish interest, but a high-minded, large-hearted 
Christian brotherhood, selected with consummate tact and rare judgment from 
the wealthiest and most cultivated counties of England, by the master mind 
of the Rev. John White, who, when he saw them set sail from Plymouth harbor, 
felt that he was casting forth upon the waters precious bread which with God's 
blessing was to enrich and beautify the ends of the earth. There was Warham, 
a " famous preacher," and Maverick, with a reputation equal to his years. There 
was Wolcott, whose ancestral antecedents, wealth and personal character would 
have commanded respect in any community, and Ludlow, with legal abilities and 
ideas far in advance of the age in which he lived ; Mason, also, with a reputation 
among the best warriors of the continent. Allyn, Gay lord, Marshall, Mathers, 
Niles, Newburys, Phelps, Rockwell, and others, all picked men, each possessing 
some tr«it or valuable quality essential to the welfare of the whole community. 
Womiin, too, was there, with her sustaining and cheering influence, herself up- 
held by that deep current of religious faith which underlies the character of her 
sex. And in every heart, to a degree which we perhaps can never experience, 
and therefore can never fully understand, dwelt that glorious light of C^hristian 
love and truth which maketh free. It sustained them in the hour of trial; it 
humbled them in the hour of prosperity; it regulated their every action; if de- 
veloped the exercise of every virtue and talent ; it softened the thousand name- 
less little asperities of individual character and social life, and thus contributed 
to the perfect and harmonious working of the whole social polity. Such was 
the character of the first generation. 

Ancient Windsor formerly covered an area of some forty-six square miles ; but 
by the separation of several towns from its limits, has been greatly shorn of its 
fair proportions ; and is now bounded north by Windsor Locks, east by Con- 
necticut river, south by Hartford and Bloomfield, and west by Bloomfield and 
East Granby. Its surface may be considered as divided into three plains or 
levels — the first, rich broad meadow land, skirted by the river; west of this, a 
higher level, on which the village is mainly built, and west of this a still higher 
elevation, covered by woodland, &c., extending back towards the bounds of 



48 / £ 

Bloomfield and East Granby. The soil is variable, but all of it is good. New / (^ 
Eni^laiid contains no pleasanter town or society than Old Windsor. 

We liave made several references to Dr. H. R. Stiles' His- 
tory of Ancient Windsor. Those residing here and others in -p 
more distant parts are under great obligations to Dr. Stiles ' 
for this history of the town. Although it contains some 
errors, (unavoidable,) especially in the genealogies of families, 
yet when we remember that tiiis was not his residence and 
that he had other engagements, it is a matter of surprise that 
a volume of this size should be so generally correct. 

In closing this report of our first Centennial, your Commit- 
tee would express their thanks "to all the habitants" for 
their very generous and general liberality. We intimated 
that we required three hundred dollars for needed expendi- 
tures ; you responded by sending us four hundred, all of which 
has been used under the direction of the Committee. 

Windsor, August 8, 1876. 



